Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure
by Shayne Rider
Summary: When Aryssa Tousani is sent to her distant family in Kyoto for her 18th birthday she manages to find herself smack dab in the middle of the warring era and under the protection of the shinsengumi. What will happen when this modern day girl is transported to the time of samuri?
1. Chapter 1

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**Hey everyone, While I was stationed in Yokosuka Japan, My friends got me hooked on Hakuoki, and I was just suddenly hit with the urge to write a fanfic with an OC.**_

_**I DO NOT OWN HAKUOKI! If I did I wouldn't have killed anyone off especially Yamazaki.**_

Chapter One

Hello, my name is Aryssa Tousani. I have black hair that reaches to the middle of my back that I usually have pulled up into either a high ponytail or a French twist, my eyes are a very unusual shade of purple that I have only honestly seen in some anime shows, and I stand at a whooping Five foot two. From the time I was a little girl I wanted to go on a grand adventure, but being your average Japanese American female I knew the chance of it ever happening in these technological times was slim to none. So imagine my surprise when on my 18th birthday I somehow managed to land smack dab in the middle of Kyoto, during the Warring States Era under the protection of the Wolves of Mibu, otherwise known as the Shinsengumi.

Though my family has lived in the United States for almost 4 generations I am as versed in the culture and history of Japan as I am with America. Because my great grandparents would tell me stories about when they lived in Japan I found myself very interested in the culture of Japan and somehow at the age of five I managed to talk my parents into allowing me to take Kendo and a few other ancient forms of Japanese martial arts. By the time I turned 15 I was ranked as one of the top Kendo and Kenjutsu students in the nation, As a reward for my efforts it was about this time when my parents decided to save up money enough to allow me to live in Japan for a year or two and as a result I ended up on a plane to Kyoto the day before I turned 18 unknowingly flying headlong into an unexpected but greatly welcomed adventure.

As my flight landed at Kansai International Airport and I collected my luggage I was met by a distant cousin whom I had only met once or twice as a little girl and taken to our family lands a few miles outside of Kyoto. Once we arrived I climbed out of the car and found myself looking at a huge Sakura Tree that was in full bloom and felt an almost physical pull towards it that I resisted after taking a few decent sized steps towards it. After watching it for several minutes I suddenly heard a voice speak up from behind me.

"That tree has been here for hundreds of years. It has stood as a silent witness to countless battles and still it stands strong. Though even I can feel its strength you seem to feel its pull as an almost physical thing. I believe you are destined for great things child." Turning around I found an older woman standing there and give her a deep bow out of respect.

"Thank you for the information and for opening your home to me." I say, "I am Aryssa Tousani."

"It is no problem child, you are after all part of this family." She says retuning my bow, "I am Hana and you look the spitting image of your great grandmother. I came to tell you that dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes."

"Thank you, Hana-Sama." I say and grabbing my bags I am shown to my room.


	2. Chapter 2

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**A/N: I don't own Hakuoki no matter how much I wish I did. That honor goes to Sentai Films and other people and companies that go along with it. If I owned it I would not have killed any of them off. I just own Aryssa and her family**_

Chapter 2

After removing my shoes at the entrance I followed Hana through the hallways of the decent sized home and right away noticed how traditional it was, it looked to me like it had only been slightly updated since it had been built. Glancing into one of the Shoji screens that had been left open and noticed a low table and cushions and Hana noticing my glance spoke up

"That is where we will take meals. It will only be the two of us and my husband since our children moved away to Tokyo a few years ago." With that she continues down the hall and turns a corner. Taking the corner close behind her I barely avoid crashing into her when she stops at the door a few feet from the corner. "This is to be your room." She says motioning to the door.

"Again I thank you for this Hana-Sama." I say setting my two suitcases down beside me and slide the shoji screen leading into the room open. Looking around the room my eyes are automatically drawn to a sky blue Haori hanging on the far wall and I let out a gasp when I recognize it from a dream I had had a few months previous.

"That was given to our family towards the end of the Bakufu Era. It is part of a uniform from one of the most feared groups during the Warring States Era" Hana says as I cross the room and reach out to touch it. "The group was known as the…"

"Shinsengumi," I cut her off without thinking, "They were also known as the Wolves of Mibu. I had a dream about them a few months ago. Seeing this Haori reminded me of how real that dream felt to me; to be honest it was like I was important to their very survival somehow, like they needed me for something." Hearing a gasp from behind me I drop my hand from the Haori and spun around to see Hana with tears in her eyes and a hand covering her mouth. "What's wrong?" I ask worried about her reaction

"It's nothing child." She says, "Once you are settled in sufficiently please come to the dining area." Without another word she turns and continues down the hallway.

"That was kind of odd." I say to myself before grabbing my suitcases from outside the room and sliding the screen shut behind me. Once the screen was fully closed I turned and opened my the suitcase that had my practice gear and clothing in it and placed the items under the haori. Once I did that I redid my hair pulling it into a high ponytail and head back towards the dining area. Reaching for the closed screen door I freeze when I hear my great grandmother's name.

"Michiko warned me that something might happen to Aryssa soon." I hear Hana say, "She sent me a letter a few months ago saying that the girl was experiencing something similar to what she dealt with. With everything that has happened even since the child got here I have to admit it is probably true. With those eyes and her reaction to the Sakura tree I feel it may be sooner rather than later."

"I think you are overreacting Hana." I hear a male say and suddenly I feel guilty for eavesdropping

"I'm coming in." I say and dropping to my knees in a sign of respect slide open the screen and enter the room. Once the door is closed I turn and bow to the two already in the room. "I am sorry for the intrusion. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence I speak up "Forgive me for my bluntness but I must ask. Hana Sama is there an area of the house that is big enough for me to train on my own until l can locate and enroll in a dojo?

"There was a large room out behind the house but it burned down a few years back." Is the response the best area for you to do as you wish is to train in the yard."

"Thank you," I say and we once again descend into silence. After the meal I return to my room and changing into my training clothes go to grab my bamboo sword.

'Go to the sakura tree' I suddenly hear and without a second though I slid my sword into the belt and finally give into the pull of the sakura tree. Reaching it I place my hand on the trunk and everything sinks into darkness.


	3. Chapter 3

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**I do not own Hakuoki. That pleasure goes to the rightful owners. I just own Aryssa she is the creation of my slightly twisted imagination.**_

Chapter 3

When I finally come too, I slowly move into a sitting position and shake my head to clear it before doing a quick look around to see if anyone had witnessed my embarrassment. Seeing no one in the immediate vicinity I slowly climb to my feet and stretch my arms over my head to make sure everything is in working order

'I haven't passed out like that since I was three and ended up waking up in the hospital because my family was afraid that I would die.' I think to myself before looking around again and freezing when I notice nothing but a foundation where Hana's house had been.

"What the Hell!" I exclaim, "Where is Hana's house? If this is someone's bad idea of a joke then I will be pissed." With that I decide to start walking to find a house or road and figure out where the hell I had been taken. Seeing nothing but a dirt road ahead of me I decide that I am having another one of those realistic dreams even though I am still wearing my training clothes. Reaching the outskirts of what I assume to be Kyoto I realize that I have no way of getting past the checkpoint to get into the city unless I sneak in. Moving out of sight of the checkpoint I wait for a few hours until dark has fallen before slipping into a deserted alleyway unseen. In a bit of a hurry to get away from the outskirts I came flying out the other end of the alley and accidentally crashed into two samurai causing the bigger one to drop the bottle of sake he was holding.

"I'm sorry," I say before quickly taking off down the street away from the checkpoint

"Get back here you little runt!" I hear one of them say and glancing behind me I see them giving chase. Turning down a few other alleyways I finally run into a dead end and grabbing my practice sword in my left hand ready to pull it off my belt if needed I turn to face my pursuers.

"I told you I was sorry about that." I tell them, "Just leave me alone and I will never bother you again.

"You owe us for that sake brat." The one who had been holding the bottle says,

"I don't have any money to replace it otherwise I would do so." I say slightly tightening my grip at my right hip out of sight of the samurai.

"Then I guess we will just have to punish you somehow." He says reaching for his own swords. In a flash I have my training sword off my hip and have the larger man unconscious on the ground and replace my sword. Jumping backwards I feel a sharp pain on my right arm and watch blood welling up from a decently deep cut that had been intended for my head

"How the hell did you do that to him if you don't have a weapon," The remaining man asks as he advances on me. Grabbing the cut on my arm to try and stop the bleeding I back up and hit the wall behind me. Realizing that I have no protection against a drawn sword I close my eyes, waiting for the deathblow and hear a bone chilling laugh, than an eerie voice

"Blood, give me your blood." It says and opening my eyes I see my captor with a sword plunged through his chest. As his body hits the ground, I see the owner of the eerie voice and feel my blood chill in my veins. Standing in front of my eyes I see a man with snow white eyes and eyes the color of blood. As it catches me looking at it, it slowly advances towards me raising its blood sword.

"Rasetsu," I say quietly remembering the term from the dream I'd had before, and finally realizing that I was very much awake and probably about to die a very painful death. Up against the wall I understand what is about to happen and right before I close my eyes to avoid watching my imminent death I once again see a sword plunged through someone's back. As the body falls I catch a glimpse of two shinsengumi uniforms before once again sinking into darkness.


	4. Chapter 4

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**I do NOT own Hakuoki much to my disappointment. I just own Aryssa Tousani. If you get a chance please R&R my story. If you have any tips or constructive criticism please provide it by either reviewing or PM.**_

Chapter 4

Coming to once again I sit up quickly and grab at my head as it starts to pound.

"I would not move so quickly." I hear a voice say, "You lost quite a bit of blood before we managed to stop the bleeding from your arm." Looking in the direction of the voice I see a guy a year or two older than me with light brown hair and purple eyes along with an older man with kind eyes. "Once you manage to get to your feet you need to come with us." The voice says again and I see it is the one closer to my age.

"Fine," I say and moving slowly so as to avoid my head starting to pound again climb to my feet. Glancing at the ruined right sleeve and the arm wrapped neatly in bandages with a sigh I take a few steps across the room until I am standing in front of the two men. "Lead the way." I say. As the older man goes to tie my hands in front of me I take a few quick steps back causing my head to pound again. "With all due respect sir, I can barely move without my head pounding like a blacksmith working at his forge, as such I don't think the rope is necessary."

"Very well," The younger one says, "but if you try to run I can assure you that you will regret it."

"I am not stupid," I say and nod towards the door "Now are we going or not?" With that the older man turns and starts to walk away and I fall in behind him feeling the other one fall in behind me and watch my back like a hawk.

'This place kind of reminds me of Hana's house.' I think to myself before nearly crashing into the older man as he halts in front of a closed shoji screen.

"Commander," He calls out, "We have the prisoner. We are coming in now." With that said he slides the screen open and slips into the room. I go to follow him but end up freezing momentarily until I feel a shove from behind me and I stumble into the room before landing on my knees. Hearing a snicker to my right I glare in that direction before focusing in on the three men sitting directly in front of me. Getting hit with a strong sense of déjà vu I gasp and sink into a bow.

"No need to be afraid." The one sitting front and center says, "I am Kondou Isami, Commander of the Shinsengumi, and these are…"

"Kondou," The one to his right says cutting him off, "Don't say anything more until we interrogate the prisoner."

"Sensible as always Toshi, would you take over from here?" With that said he falls silent and I turn my attention to the one I now recall is Toshizou Hijikata as everything from my dream return to me in full force.

"What did you see boy?" He asks me cutting right to the point. "If we do not like your answer or it puts the Shinsengumi in danger we will not hesitate to kill you."

"Somehow I am not surprised that you said that Toshizou Hijikata." I say boldly and everyone stops dead before reaching for their katana. "Before you decide to kill me where I stand at least let me tell you that though I don't look it at present I am most assuredly female."

"How do you know my name female?" Hijikata asks me

"I know every single one of your names though how I know them is hard for even me to explain. " I reply, "I also know that two of your men killed the Rasetsu that was attacking me and I would like to thank them even if they didn't do it to save me and were simply following your orders. If you decide not to kill me for knowing about the Rasetsu I would gladly offer you help in any way you possible once my arm is healed in a few days. Now if someone will please escort me to the room I woke up in, I will allow you to discuss my fate in privacy." With that I climb slowly to my feet and with my head held high and walk towards the door noticing Yamazaki shadowing my steps.

"Saito, go with them." I hear Hijikata say as I step into the corridor and head in the direction of my room.


	5. Chapter 5

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**Still don't own Hakuoki and still disappointed about that fact. Hakuoki is still the property of Sentai Films, Idea Factory and any other affiliated companies. I only own Aryssa and her weird thing with Sakura Trees. R & R please. As I mentioned in the last chapter I appreciate any tips or anything that can help me. I would like to thank xenocanaan for pointing out that I have the time period for the Shinsengumi wrong.**_

Chapter 5

As I walk into my room I look around and see my training sword in a corner and feeling a need to have it on my person in a time where if I looked at someone wrong I would be cut down without a thought go to grab it and replace it on my right hip. Turning back towards the entrance I see Saitou Glance at my hip before focusing on my face and speaking up

"For your sake you should simply imagine the worst." He says and with that he turns and walks away from me.

As I watch his retreat Yamazaki comes up and unwraps the bandages to check my arm

"This wound will take more than a few days to heal so don't get your hopes up." He tells me

"Trust me," I tell him, "This cut will most definitely heal in a matter of days. I have had worse injuries than this over the years and the most it has ever taken a wound to heal is a month when I broke my arm around 6 years of age. If you don't believe me you can check my arm tomorrow evening and I can guarantee you will see a major difference from what you see right now." As I finish telling him that he rewraps my arm and leaves, sliding the screen shut behind him. After a few minutes I suddenly realize that I am barely able to stand from fatigue and I remove the sword from my hip and lay down on the Tatami Mat, falling asleep in a matter of seconds.

When I wake up the next morning I don't recognize my surroundings. Sitting up and stretching my arms above my head I catch a glimpse of my bandaged arm and remember that I am essentially in my prison cell. As I climb quickly to my feet I realize right off the back that my head is no longer pounding when I move. Going over to the window I slide it open and immediately notice yet another Sakura tree in full bloom in the courtyard outside and yet again feel a slight pull from it.

"Ok what is it with my sudden fascination with sakura trees?" I ask before continuing a monologue to myself. "I wonder if this is what that letter from Great Grandma to Hana was talking about when it mentioned something happening to me. If she thought something like this was going to happen why didn't she give me a heads up? I guess I just have to ask her if I ever get home again."

"I do not know about your fascination with sakura trees but maybe your great grandmother was trying to protect you." I suddenly hear a reply and jumping in surprise I turn to my left and see Okita Souji sitting by my door an amused grin on his face.

"How long have you been sitting outside my door?" I ask him in a deceptively calm voice.

"About Three hours." He replies with a smirk on his face. "I have to assume that you had a nice rest since you have marks on your face from the tatami mat."

"CREEP!" I yell going to slide the window screen shut firmly.

"Do not let him get to you." I hear another voice and turning to my right see Heisuke Toudou, Shinpachi Nagakura and Sanosuke Harada the first two holding trays of food.

"Is that food for me?" Souji asks motioning towards the object of his attention

"One is but the other one is for our friend here." Toudou says handing his tray to me

"I guess that means I get to keep my life." I ask accepting the tray hesitantly.

"Yeah, we decided to keep you alive for a time at least." He tells me

"I think it is because you actually spoke out to Hijikata the way you did." Nagakura says, "Even we are afraid of what the demon vice commander will do if we even think of trying something like that."

"I just spoke my mind. I didn't even think before I blurted that out." I said, "That kind of stuff happens to me quite a bit actually."

"By the way do you have a name kid?" Harada asks me, "We can't just keep calling you kid if we are keeping you alive."

"Oh my name is Aryssa Tousani." I say.


	6. Chapter 6

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**I do not own Hakuoki. That honor still goes to Idea Factory and all other affiliated companies involved in the Hakuoki Franchise. I just own Aryssa. Thank you to everyone who is still interested in my story. As usual I would like to request that you R&R my story and give me any tips you think would help improve my writing skills**_

Chapter 6

"That sounds like a western name." Toudou says

"That is because it is a western name." I tell him, "My father is an American Doctor Toudou-San."

"Please just call me Heisuke," He tells me rubbing his hand on the back of his neck. "Everybody else does and we look around the same age anyway so it shouldn't be that big of a deal."

"That's fine by me." I reply, "And you guys can call me Aryssa."

"By the way Aryssa," Okita speaks up, "I have a question I've been meaning to ask you."

"Go ahead and ask." I tell him

"When we found you in that alley, we saw you cowering in front of the Rasetsu, The ronin it had killed and yet another rather large ronin on the ground unconscious. Do you mind telling me what happened to him?"

"Oh him," I say turning a little red in embarrassment, "He was going to kill me because I couldn't give him any money to replace the bottle of sake that I had made him spill when I bumped into him and his friend coming out of an alley at a run. I didn't exactly want to die for some freaking alcohol so I knocked him out with my practice sword using a quick draw. I didn't have the advantage of surprise for the guy the Rasetsu killed so he actually managed to cut my arm as I jumped backwards to avoid getting my head taken off."

"You took that guy out with a practice sword?!" Okita asks me with a look of surprised astonishment on his face.

"Yeah I did," I reply, "It actually wasn't all that hard with how fast I am when it comes to speed."

"You don't look all that fast," Okita says.

"If you don't believe me," I shoot back at him, "Then I will spar with whomever you want once I am cleared by Yamazaki in the next few days."

"You're on!" he says his cocky grin retuning in full force.

"I have a feeling you may end up regretting that Aryssa." Heisuke says

"I will not." I say before I remember that I am still holding the tray of food Heisuke had handed me earlier. "By the way do you think that Hijikata will get mad at me if I sit out there to eat with you guys instead of in this room?"

"I don't think he will get too mad as long as someone is keeping an eye on you." Harada says, and I slid the door open.

"Arigato Gozaimasu" I say with a bow before sitting with them. "Thank you for the food." I say, with my hands clasped in front of me before I start to eat. After just listening to the conversations of the others I end up turning my attention once again to the sakura tree across from my room. Tuning out the conversations around me I start thinking about everything that had happened to me up to this point starting from my dream. After several minutes of contemplation I jump as I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder.

"Are you ok?" Heisuke asks me when I look over at him.

"Yeah I was just thinking." I tell him, "A lot has happened to me since I turned 18 a few days ago."

"You are welcome to talk to us about it if you need to." He replies and I give a curt laugh before responding.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you everything. In fact I'm kind of having a hard time believing it myself." I admit with a sigh.

"Come on it can't be that bad." Is the reply

"You guys would have me put in a psychiatric hospital if I told you everything." I insist, "Please just forget I said anything."

"I do not recall giving you guy's permission to sit around and talk." A voice says and looking over we all see Hijikata standing there with his arms crossed.

"Sorry Hijikata," Nagakura says as everyone but Okita stands up and returns to their respective duties.

"As for you" Hijikata says his purple eyes meeting mine, "I do not recall giving you permission to leave your room."

"Oh get over it Hijikata!" I exclaim finally losing my temper "My room is right here, and you have me under guard! It isn't like I am wandering around your headquarters sticking my nose in your secrets! And by the way if you want to keep me locked up like a prisoner then I am telling you right now that I will go crazy! I have done it before when I got out of the hospital as a child and my parents made me stop my martial arts because they were worried about me."

"Fine, you can stay out here but do not leave this area unless I give you permission."

"I give up!" I say climbing to my feet and turning my back on Hijikata I step into my room and shut the shoji screen firmly behind me and then do the same with screen for the window before taking a deep breath to calm myself down.


	7. Chapter 7

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**I do not own Hakuoki no matter how much I want to. The rights to Hakuoki belong to idea factory and anyone else involved in the Hakuoki franchise, I simply own Aryssa and anything involving her life.**_

Chapter 7

"You have guts, I'll give you that much." Okita says through the door after a few minutes, "Not many people would yell at the demon vice commander like and then turn their back on him and walk away like that."

"Just leave me alone Okita." I say keeping my voice level with some difficulty. "I need an hour or two to calm down before I end up doing or saying something I regret even more that I do now." Much to my surprise I get no response and then I sit Indian style and start a long meditation. Once I have calmed down sufficiently after about two or three hours I stand up and start to go through my paces for my newest exercise routine and before I realize it the sky has started to darken outside and I can barely see anything in my dark room. After going through my room trying to find some way to light the candle in my room and not finding anything I cross the room and reach for the screen door to see if I can find someone just as it slides open and find myself face to face with Yamazaki and a female I have not met yet holding a tray of food.

"Yamazaki," I say bowing my head towards him before stepping a few steps back to allow the two of them into my room. The female takes the tray to the table and sets it down on the low table next to the candle before pulling something out of her pocket and lighting the candle before turning to me with a bow.

"I am Chizuru Yukimura," she says, "I am pleased to meet you"

"I am Aryssa Tousani," I say returning her bow, "I am pleased to meet you as well."

"Would you please come over here so we can check your injury" Yamazaki says moving to stand beside Yukimura. "She will be assisting me today."

"Of course," I tell him crossing the room to join them. "My arm hurt a little bit when I was stretching earlier but other than that it hasn't caused me any problem since I do most things left handed anyway." With that I hold my arm out and watch as Yamazaki unwraps it waiting to see their reactions.

"You got this cut a few nights ago?" Yukimura asks me with a strange look on her face.

"Yeah, I told Yamazaki yesterday that I heal really quickly for some reason." I reply, "I've always been that way though. My Great Grandmother just told me it was because I was special and told me to keep it a secret for as long as I could. When I asked her why she simply told me that most people would be afraid of me if they found out about it. I figured that if the Shinsengumi let me live they would have someone taking care of my injury so I should let you guys know about it and hope that you are some of the people that accept the fact that I heal unusually fast."

"If your arm continues healing at this rate you should be back to normal by midday tomorrow." Yamazaki tells me.

"Is it really that much better?" I ask looking down at my arm and seeing only a faint scab. "I figured it would take at least a few more days to heal I was just being optimistic."

"Since it has healed remarkably will I do not see any point in rewrapping it now." Yamazaki says, "I will leave some bandages here and if your arm starts bleeding again you can wrap it yourself if you wish to do so." With that he leaves the room, as Yukimura goes to follow him out I grab her arm to stop her.

"Yukimura would you please stay here for a little while?" I ask

"Ok," She says, "But please call me Chizuru, I would like us to become friends."

"If you want me to than that is fine I was just being polite." I say and finally sit down in front of the food Chizuru had brought me. Once again I clasp my hands in front of me in thanks before starting to eat. After taking a few bites of my food I start talking to my new friend. "Hey Chizuru, do you mind if I ask you how you came to be here with the Shinsengumi?"

"Not at all," she replies, "They are helping me look for my father. He disappeared a few months ago and I came from Edo to find him. Actually from what I understand my first meeting with them was similar to yours. Okita, Souji, and Hijikata saved me from a few Rasetsu the night I arrived in Kyoko as well. "Once they heard my story and found out I was looking for my father they said that they had been looking for him as well and agreed to help me find him."  
"Wow," I say and remember why I had asked her to stay behind, "By the way I asked you to stay behind because I wanted to ask if there was anywhere I could wash up. I haven't had a bath or anything for a few days and I feel kind of gross. I want to wash up and change clothes but since I don't have any other clothes with me I will just have to be fine with cleaning my skin until I can get ahold of more clothes."

"Actually there is a bathhouse nearby but it is all male so we would have to wait until late so we don't give away the fact that we are females." Chizuru says, "We would have to get permission from Hijikata to go but if he agrees to allow us to go I would be willing to take you and give you a change of clothing as well."

"Would you ask him for me?" I ask, "I seem to run away at the mouth whenever he speaks to me with that attitude of his. If I ask him I would probably just end up making him mad or vice versa and I wouldn't get permission."


	8. Chapter 8

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**I do not own Hakuoki. I never have and probably never will. If I did own it I would have let everyone live and Chizuru and Hijikata would have their happy ending not be ripped from each other's arms in the very next episode after Hijikata finally confesses his love for her. Please read and review this story as always I welcome any tips or anything that will improve my writing.**_

CHAPTER 8

"Yes I can do that." Chizuru says standing up

"I appreciate you doing this Chizuru." I say standing up as well to show her out.

"You don't need to get up on my account," she says, "I will be back once I ask Hijikata and let you know what he says."

"If you say so," I say and sit back down. Once I finish my food I decide to sit outside for some fresh air. Stepping outside the door I look around and see Saito practicing by himself in the courtyard and I sit down on the edge of the porch to watch him. After a good 15 minutes he appears to realize he isn't alone and he turns towards me.

"Are you allowed to be out of the room?" He asks me

"Are you being serious right now?" I ask, "If you just now noticed that I was out of the room…"

"I knew you were there as soon as you sat down I just chose to ignore you until now." He cuts me off and I take a deep breath to keep calm

"Sheesh how is it you and Hijikata know just what to say to make me angry?" I ask more to myself than anything, "And by the way Hijikata told me earlier today that I can sit out here if someone is nearby I am just not allowed to go anywhere else without his permission." Instead of replying Saito turns away from me and continues with his training. After watching him for a few minutes I lean backwards supporting my upper body with my hands and a few minutes later the wind kicks up a bit and I lean my head back closing my eyes and let the wind blow the scent of the cherry blossoms across my face and feel myself relax a bit for the first time since I had found myself in this crazy situation. Hearing the sound of footsteps approaching I open my eyes and sit up again.

"Aryssa come with me." Chizuru says coming to a stop beside me.

"Hijikata told me not to leave this area without his permission I tell her feeling my tension return full force.

"I know that." She says, "He is the one who told me to come and get you. He asked me to get you as well Hajime."

"Very well," He replies and stops his training once again

"Fine," I say climbing to my feet. "But if he starts yelling or something I am walking away." With that I fall into step behind her. Instead of taking me to the large room from before she leads us to a smaller room not too far from my own room.

"Hijikata I brought Tousani and Hajime as you asked." Chizuru says, "Are we allowed to enter?"

"Yes, you may enter." Is the reply and she slides the door open. Stepping into the room first I bow towards Hijikata and speak up,

"I would like to apologize for losing my temper and yelling at you earlier today Hijikata." I say and still bowing I wait for his reply.

"Very well," He says and I straighten up, "I was informed by Yamazaki earlier of your accelerated healing process and that you should be back to full strength and ability tomorrow."

"Yes I figured he would tell you at some point." I reply and he continues

"The other day when you were brought before us you told us that you would do whatever you could to help us if we let you live. Did you mean that or were you just saying that to make us consider sparing your life?"

"Of course I meant it I reply quickly.

"Souji mentioned earlier that you claim to have knocked a grown man unconscious with that practice sword you have been carrying around." I nod in affirmation and he continues, "He also said that you told him you would spar with whoever he wanted once you were cleared by Yamazaki. That is why I had you come as well Saito. He wanted Tousani to fight you since you are both apparently left handed fighters and I agree with his choice. If she is able to meet your standards I would like to have her placed in your unit as a new member of the Shinsengumi."

"As you command," Hajime says and with a nod from Hijikata he takes his leave.

"As for your other request I will allow it as long as you take one of the captains not on patrol with you." Hijikata says, "You can go with Chizuru for other clothes before you leave as well. Now you are dismissed."

"Thank you very much." I say with yet another bow before I also leave the room. Without another word I follow Chizuru to her room and once we enter and shut the door she pulls out a pink Shitage and Hakama identical to the one she is wearing and hands the to me.

"These should fit you pretty well but try them on right now just in case." She says,

I take the clothes from her and after checking to make sure the door and window are shut I put them down and pull my ruined shirt off over my head dropping it on the floor then I change into the Shitage and Hakama. "Do you have an extra sash or something for a sword?" I ask once I feel how loose the Shitage is."

"Of course I do." She says handing me a white sash.

"Thank you." I say tucking the Shitage into the waist of the Hakama before tying the sash to complete the ensemble. "I wish it was a different color but other than that how does it look?" I ask her

"Actually it looks like it fits perfectly." Chizuru says, "Now we can try to find one of the guys and head out to the bath house unless you want to change back into your original clothes."

"No let's go find someone." I say looking forward to cleaning up a bit.

"ok," She says and we head out to locate someone. After walking for a few minutes we bump into Okita, Heisuke, Harada and Nagakura.

"Hey guys," I say, "Are any of you on patrol tonight?"

"Nagakura and I are." Harada says, "Why are you asking?"

"Hijikata gave us permission to go to the bath house as long as we have a captain who is not on patrol escort us."

"I'll take you," Okita says his usual smirk replaced with an even more dangerous looking smile on his face.

"I trust you about as far as I could throw you right now which is not far at all." I say, "Would you be able to escort us Heisuke?"

"Um, are you sure about that?" he asks blushing slightly,

"Of course," I tell him, "I trust you much more than I do Okita."

"Me too," Chizuru puts in

"In that case I will accompany you." He says and we head out. When we arrive at the bath house Heisuke goes in ahead of us to make sure it is empty. "It is clear for now so you guys can head inside." After we finish cleaning up and I pull my hair into a braid we head for the entrance. As we approach the entrance I stop short when I hear a somewhat familiar voice speak up.

"Boy how long do you plan on blocking our path?" I hear and looking outside I see the ronin I had knocked unconscious the other day with another group of ronin. Without thinking about it I step boldly outside and walk forward.

"I see you have recovered sufficiently enough to harass people again over stupid things." I say stopping a few steps away from the group

"You," He says his hand going to his swords as soon as he recognizes me

"Yes me," I tell him with a chill in my voice, "And you happen to be threatening a friend of mine."

"You still owe me for the Sake brat." He says,

"Are you still going on about that?" I ask, "A real samurai would have gotten over that stupid alcohol by now so I guess you are just a fake."

"Why you little…" He says drawing his sword

"I would think about that if I were you." I say and continue with my bluff, feeling a strange energy start to cycle through my system, "Of have you already forgotten about what happened the last time someone drew a sword on me. I suggest you turn away and just come back later." As he returns his katana to its sheath and does as I say I suddenly get really dizzy and dropping to my knees I sit on my feet.

"Are you ok Aryssa?" Heisuke asks me

"I'm fine," I tell him shaking my head to clear it, "I just got really dizzy for a moment."

"Are you sure you are ok?" Chizuru asks coming to crouch beside me, "You are really pale."

"I said I am fine," I snap, I just need to get some sleep, which always made me feel better when this happened when I was little. My great grandmother started having me take some kind of homemade medicine and the dizzy spells disappeared until now once I stopped taking the medicine a few days ago." With that I climb to my feet and we head back to the Shinsengumi headquarters.


	9. Chapter 9

HAKUOKI: AN UNEXPECTED ADVENTURE

_**I do not own Hakuoki no matter how much I want to. That honor goes to Idea Factory and any other companies involved in the franchise. I just own Aryssa (whatever she is I haven't figured out yet but she definitely isn't human.) Please review if you can I would greatly appreciate it.**_

CHAPTER 9

Waking up the next day I feel much better and get ready to face the day. Once I am dressed and I pull my hair into my usual high ponytail and slide the door to my room open only to come face-to-face with Yamazaki

"Are you here to check up on my arm a final time?" I ask him

"Yes I am, and Yukimura also wanted me to find out if you are recovered after what happened last night."

"I told her I would be fine." I tell him, "I've dealt with that issue before so it was nothing new to me I just simply needed to sleep it off. As for my arm I can barely see a mark so it should be fine in a matter of hours." I tell him holding out my arm to show him what I mean.

"Yes, I agree with that assumption." He says glancing at my proffered arm, "If you get dizzy again let someone know so we can get you some medicine." With that he offers me a bow and quickly walks away

"Thank you," I say to his retreating back and then sit down just inside the entrance to my room, closing my eyes with a sigh, "No matter where I am I just feel like such an outsider sometimes." I mutter to myself but I am not surprised when I hear a response.

"What do you mean by that?" I hear Heisuke ask and I open my eyes to see him a few steps in front of me.

"Just thinking out loud," I tell him

"I won't let you get off that easy you know." He says crossing his arms in front of him, "Now explain,"

"Fine," I tell him "I feel that way because back home everyone seems to be afraid of me for some reason except for my mother and Great Grandmother and even here only a few of you guys seem to like me and watching the way you guys interact with each other I still feel like an outsider despite the fact that I may be joining the Shinsengumi later today."

"Just give everyone a chance to get used to you being here." I hear Chizuru say as she walks into sight as well. "They treated me the same way when I first got here as well."

"Do you really think that?" I ask,

"Of course I do." She says handing me yet another tray of food

"By the way, do either one of you guys know when I am being tested?" I ask, "All I know is that Hijikata and Okita are making me spar with Saito at some point today." They both shake their heads no and then Okita shows up with the answer.

"You have about three hours," He says "and then I am taking you to the dojo on the other side of headquarters."

"That was perfect timing Okita," I say, "I was just asking if these two knew anything about that."

"If you have been leading me on about your fighting skills, I'll kill you." Is the reply I get

"You don't need to worry about that." I tell him before thanking Chizuru for the food and starting to eat. Deep in thought I finish my food and realizing that everyone had left at some point I placed the dirty tray and dishes outside and to the side of my door and start my warm-up routine to kill some time. Just as I finish up Okita returns to escort me to the dojo and grabbing my practice sword quickly I follow him.

Entering the dojo behind him I look around the large room and see everyone gathered to observe the match.

"So how are we going to do this?" I ask and I am handed a sword in a sheath by Okita, "Um, why are you handing me a real sword for a sparring match?" I ask

"Most of our matches are fought with real swords," he says then forces my hand closed around the sheath.

"But I've never used an actual sword before." What happens if one of us is injured on accident?

"I doubt you could land a blow on Saito if you tried and we figured if you manage to cut yourself it should be fine since you will heal in a few days anyway."

"Fine," I say, resigned to a legitimate sword match and replace my practice sword with the real one, surprised with how natural it feels on my hip despite the heavier weight. After practicing a sword draw a few times to get a feel for it I look towards Saito and he bows.

"Attack me whenever you are ready." He tells me without making a move for his own katana. Without a sound I attack unsheathing my sword on the fly and as I hit him I hear a resounding crash as our weapons collide. Time vanishes as we silently separate and continue our match. After a time we suddenly freeze as I find the flat edge of Saito's blade pressed against my throat.

"I yield," I say and taking several steps backwards I return my borrowed sword to its sheath. After a time Saito nods and does the same turning towards Hijikata

"She passes." He says and retreats across the room

"I am glad Aryssa is on our side." Heisuke says after a few minutes of silence and glancing at Okita I see a rare look of shock on his face.

"Told you that you didn't need to worry didn't I Okita?" I ask drawing him out of his reverie.

"Dam, you are almost as good as Saito and I skill and speed wise." He says with a laugh his trademark smirk back in place.


	10. Chapter 10

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**I do not own Hakuoki. All credit for this amazing show/game franchise goes to history itself, Idea Factory and any other group/company**_** involved in said show. All I own is Aryssa**_** (no matter what she turns out to be whether oni or something else since she is obviously not fully human)**_

Chapter 10

"As of right now," Hijikata says from the corner where he is standing with the other two commanders, "I place you in the Shinsengumi Third Unit under the command of Hajime Saito as we discussed during our meeting yesterday."

"Yes Commander," I say

"As a member of the Shinsengumi you will have five rules to follow as we all do. One, do not deviate from the way of the warrior. Two, Desertion will not be tolerated. Three, do not raise money without authorization. Four, do not manage another's litigation without authorization and Five, Personal duals will not be tolerated. If you follow these five rules you will do fine, but if you break any of these rules you will be forced to commit Seppuku."

"Very well," I say and with a bow to Hijikata I turn to return my borrowed sword to Okita. "I thank you for allowing me to borrow this sword."

"Keep it," He tells me, "It is my old sword so I don't ever use it and besides you can't very well fight and kill someone who attacks you on patrol with a wooden sword now can you? Just keep it and return it once you buy your own set of Katana. But if you don't return it once you have done so…"

"Let me guess," I cut him off, "You'll kill me right?"

"At least you know," He says with a wink and walks out of the dojo

"He threatens to kill people a lot doesn't he?" I ask no one in particular as I watch him walk away

"I think that is his way of saying he likes you." Chizuru says, "That is just how he is he told me the same thing every time he talked to me when I first got here."

"Maybe," I say, "At the very least I managed to impress him with my fighting skills."

"You impressed everyone today." I hear Hijikata say and turn to see the three commanders walking over to me as everyone else walks out of the dojo.

"Tousani, do you have any money?" Kondou asks me

"No I don't have any money." I tell him, "Why are you asking?"

"I just figured that you would want to return the clothes you are currently wearing to Chizuru soon so I was going to give you permission to head into Kyoto to buy yourself some clothes since the ones you were wearing when you arrives are ruined."

"I appreciate the thought sir, but as I said I don't have any money until I get paid." I tell him and with a bow grab my practice sword from where I had put it and get ready to walk out of the dojo.

"Here take this money," Kondou says grabbing my arm gently and pushing a bag of coin into my hand.

"I can't accept this!" I exclaim and try to hand it back to him

"As your commander-in-chief I am ordering you to take this money and buy yourself some suitable clothing for a member of the Shinsengumi." He tells me in a firm voice once again pushing the bag of coin back into my hand.

"Yes sir, as you command." I say accepting the money in resignation

"Very good," Hijikata says, "At least you know how to follow orders as soon as they are given. You are free to go now."

Yes," I say and quickly leave the dojo. Managing to find my way back to my room in order to drop off my practice sword I see a few people standing around in the courtyard outside of my room

"What's up guys?" I ask realizing that it is Harada, Shinpachi, Heisuke and Chizuru."

"Took you long enough to get here." Heisuke says with a grin

"The commanders were talking to me." I tell him, "I have orders to go buy myself some suitable clothing."

"How are you supposed to do that if you don't have any money?" Chizuru asks me

"Kondou gave me some money." I say showing them the bag of coin, "I tried to decline the money but Kondou pulled the commander-in-chief card on me and forced me to accept it. Not that I have the faintest idea where I can buy suitable clothing for me, let alone how to get there from wherever headquarters is."

"My unit is getting ready to head out on patrol if you want to come with us." Heisuke tells me, "Once we get you there however you are on your own."

"If it is okay with you I will accept that offer." I tell him and opening the door I throw my practice sword into a corner of the room before sliding the door shut and standing there waiting for Heisuke to head out. "Hey am I going to get one of those?" I ask nodding to the haori I realize he is wearing

"You should get one in the next few days since it is part of our uniform." He tells me before we start walking towards the main gate to meet up with his unit.

"By the way, am I pretending to be a boy like Chizuru or am I allowed to be a female Shinsengumi?" I ask genuinely curious since I have a feeling the guys in his unit are going to be wondering the same thing when they see me with him.

"That would be a question to ask Hijikata. For now we will just go with saying you're a guy."

"Hey who's the kid?" I hear one of the guys ask as we approach.

"The newest member of the third unit," Heisuke says, "Just got accepted today."

"Is the kid any good?" the guy asks,

"He nearly ended in a draw with Saito during his test, does that answer your question?"

"Yeah,"

"Thought so," Heisuke says, "Now let's head out for patrol."

"Yes sir!" They all shout and we head out


	11. Chapter 11

Hakuoki: An Unexpected Adventure

_**I do not own Hakuoki or the Shinsengumi. That honor goes to history and the companies affiliated with the game/show franchise. I just own Aryssa and her family's huge secret which is slowly starting to show itself to her.**_

**Chapter 11**

After walking for a short time we come to a stop at a crossroads and Heisuke turns to me

"This is where we are parting ways Tousani." He says and points to the path leading to our left, "This road will take you into the middle of Kyoto where all the shops are set up. Once you get there someone should be able to point you in the right direction for what you need."

"Thanks," I tell him and with a bow to them I head in the direction he had indicated. After walking for a few minutes I find myself in an outdoor marketplace as well as a few different shops. Looking around at the different stalls and shops I start to get really excited and start looking at some of the displayed goods before walking into what looks like a general goods store. As I step through the curtain at the entrance I look around until I see a large selection of men's clothing towards the back of the store and head in that direction. After looking at a few things I catch movement at the corner of my line of sight and turning see an old woman coming towards me whom I bow towards to show her my respect

"Hello Ma'am," I tell her as she returns my bow

"Are you buying clothing for a family member?" She asks me

"No, it's for me I need new clothing." I tell her

"Then you are looking in the wrong place young lady." She says with a small smile and grabbing my hand pulls me towards the kimonos

"I don't need a kimono." I tell her, "And how can you even tell I am a girl?"

"You can't fool this old woman child." She tells me, "I can always tell and even if I couldn't, you are much to pretty to pass as a male if anyone pays close enough attention."

"You have good eyes ma'am," I tell her, "But regardless I need to buy men's clothing."  
"Very well," She tells me, "I will help you in a few minutes." With that she vanishes into the back of the store as I return to the male clothing section. True to her word the old woman returns with a tape measure in a matter of minutes and starts taking my measurements. Within a matter of seconds she has handed me a few shitage and hakama.

"These will suit you well." She says and walks to the counter waiting for me to hand her everything so she can wrap it for me. After a moment I walk over, set the stuff down and pull the coin purse out to pay her. After I pay her for the clothing and she wraps them up her granddaughter walks out of the back room with another package and hands it to her. "This is also for you child, I was told a long time ago as a young girl that if a girl matching your description ever came to this store, that I was to give you a special package. I was told to tell you to make sure you do not open this package unless you are alone and that as long as you do that everything will be fine."

"Thank you …" I trail off as I realize I don't know the old woman's name. As if she can read my mind she speaks up

"My name is Rei," She tells me,

"Thank you Rei," I say and accept both packages cautiously. With a bow of my head I exit the store and step into the street I hear a whisper on the wind

'_All will be explained in time my Konohanasakuya' _with those words I shiver slightly before I feel a short sharp pain on the side of my neck. As the sensation fades as quickly as it appeared I start walking and suddenly smell something sweet. Following the scent I find myself in front of a store selling sweets and I order a plate of dango. Setting my stuff down on a bench in front of the store I sit beside it and wait for my order. As I am handed the food I sit it on my lap and rubbing the side of my neck absently I start to eat. Finishing the Dango I return the dirty plate to the vendor and pay him before grabbing my stuff off of the bench and heading in the direction I had come from originally. As I stop to admire a pair of katana in the window of a katana store I suddenly feel a pair of eyes watching me and turning in the direction it is coming from I meet a pair of red eyes with my own. A second look at him reveals that he has blonde hair and I suddenly get a very uncomfortable feeling. Turning away from him I quickly walk away from him and head back to the shinsengumi headquarters. As I approach the turn towards Mibu I stop dead in my tracks as I see the man who had been staring at me blocking the path ahead.

"How did you know I was coming this way?" I ask him grabbing the hilt of my sword as my packages hit the ground beside me

"Relax, I am not going to hurt you." He tells me, "You simply have me curious about you."

"Do you really expect me to believe that?" I ask him drawing my sword and holding it at the ready.

"I promise I will not harm you," He tells me, "I am Kazama Chikage, and you are?"

"Who I am is none of your business." I tell him the cold edge returning to my voice, "Now leave me the hell alone or I will run you through."

"I am just wondering what you are." He says and his eyes glance at the side of my neck before returning to my face. "That mark on your neck indicates that you are neither human nor Oni. I look forward to discovering your secrets girl." With that he simply vanishes into thin air. After a few minutes I return my sword to its sheath and grab my things off the ground.

"Aryssa," I hear as I start walking and recognizing Chizuru's voice I stop and turn in the direction I had just come from to see her walking towards me with Okita who is also wearing a shinsengumi Haori. "I was on patrol with Okita." She tells me as I give her a questioning glance.

"I see," I tell her and we continue on our way.


End file.
